Decrypting/Converting .TiVo Files for Vegas Compatibility

[Wayne Waag]

You didn’t state your interest, but it seems likely that since its a tivo file, you probably want to get rid of commercials. If that’s the case, then save yourself a lot of time and try VideoReDo TV Suite 5. It can open .tivo files directly. It also has a built-in ad scanning capability. Just do your cuts and render directly. Vegas will work, but it would be very cumbersome, where VideoReDo is designed for this type of application.

wwaag

[Michael George]

I actually don’t need to get rid of the commercials. I want to use some TiVo footage in a Sony Vegas project so I just need to decrypt and convert the .TiVo file so that it can be imported into Vegas for editing.

[Wayne Waag]

Sorry about my presumptiveness. In that case, I’d suggest you try the Videohelp forum. There is a Conversion subforum that might be of assistance. There is also a Tools section that lists lots of tools for doing conversions. And lastly, have you tried just “googling”. I just tried .tivo file converter with lots of hits. As a last resort, you could always download the VideoReDo TV suite I mentioned and use it in a trial mode for your conversions just for your project. In any case, good luck.

wwaag

[Michael George]

I’ll definitely check out VideoReDo, thanks for that. I’ll also have a look at the forum you suggested.

I have, in fact, previously done some digging around regarding this and have found a handful of options, I just came here to see if anyone had any preferred methods of doing so before I moved forward with any of those options (most importantly having to pay for a piece of software that I’ll only use once or twice).

Cheers for your help, Wayne.

[Bob Peterson]

It looks like the simplest way is to connect a miniDV video camera between the Tivo and the computer. If the camera has a “pass thru” capability, it can convert the Tivo output to a digital format that can be captured on the computer. Interestingly, this technique was just discussed in this thread;

https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/24/989823

I route the HDMI output of my Tivo through an adaptor made by Etekcity which is called a “mini HDMI2AV converter”. The converter produces a composite output which can be connected to the camera’s a/v input jack. Output to the computer is via fire-wire. Amazon has the required adaptor.

[Chris King]

The reason the TiVo file is not supported by Sony Vegas is because only a handful of programs currently support .tivo files in their native format, which is MPEG-2 based, but in what someone described as being in a “.tivo wrapper.” You will need a program that will work with it in that form, or else removes it so that it will be recognizable by other video software.